Ellia Jeffers Warned: This Is Your Last Adjournment

St Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Ellia Jeffers, out on bail after being convicted on multiple drug charges in 2015, has once again asked the Court of Appeal for more time to prepare her case.

Jeffers went before the Justices of Appeal on Wednesday, with Natasha Grey appearing as her legal counsel. At the last sitting of the Court of Appeal Jeffers’ attorney had asked for be removed from the case and the matter was adjourned.

Miss Grey informed the court that she was applying for an adjournment on behalf of Jeffers as she had only been contacted about the matter on Monday evening, and gotten hold of the relevant documents on Tuesday.

The attorney also indicated that she had yet to receive “full instructions” from Ms Jeffers.

The Justices inquired if the appellant had been advised of the risk of appealing her sentence, to which Ms Grey said given the short notice to appear on Jeffers’ behalf, she had not had a chance to have proper discussions with the appellant.

Crown Counsel Greatess Gordon appearing for the respondent the Chief of Police, said while she would not object to the application for an adjournment, she would ask that it be the last adjournment granted since the matter had been before the court from some time.

The Justices granted the adjournment to the next sitting in March 2018, stating that it was the final adjournment the Court of Appeal would be granting in Jeffers’ matter.

In September 2014, Jeffers, a government employee at the time, was nabbed on arrival at the RLB international with half a kilo of cocaine. In November 2015 she was convicted of importation of cocaine and five other charges in the magistrate court and fined $65, 000 to be paid forthwith or face four years imprisonment.